• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: MidAmerican Energy, PSNC Energy, Southwest Gas and Washington Gas Each Rank Highest in Satisfying Gas Utility Business Customers in Their Respective Regions

Posted on: Thursday, 19 March 2009, 08:00 CDT

Corporate Citizenship and Account Management Activities of Gas Utility Companies Greatly Impacts Business Customer Satisfaction

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- MidAmerican Energy, PSNC Energy, Southwest Gas and Washington Gas lead among gas utility providers in their respective regions in satisfying business customers, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)

Now in its fourth year, the study measures business customer satisfaction with their gas utility company in four regions: East, Midwest, South and West. Satisfaction is determined by examining six factors: billing and payment; corporate citizenship; price; communications; customer service; and field service.

East Region

Washington Gas ranks highest in the East Region with an index score of 647 on a 1,000-point scale. Con Edison follows with 613, while Baltimore Gas and Electric and New Jersey Natural Gas tie to rank third in the East with 607.

Midwest Region

MidAmerican Energy leads the Midwest with a score of 662. We Energies and Xcel Energy-Midwest tie to follow MidAmerican Energy, each receiving a score of 641.

South Region

In the South, PSNC Energy ranks highest with a score of 657. Texas Gas Service follows with 647, while Piedmont Natural Gas ranks third in the region with 635.

West Region

Southwest Gas ranks highest in the West with 687. Northwest Natural follows with 667 and Southern California Gas Company ranks third with 648.

The study finds that corporate citizenship activities -- such as providing donations or sponsorships to support civic and charitable organizations, offering energy efficiency and conservation programs, making efforts to increase the general safety of their gas system and improving their impact on the environment -- have a considerable influence on business customer satisfaction with their gas utility company. Among customers who say they are aware of their utility company's corporate citizenship initiatives, average satisfaction scores are more than 150 index points higher than among customers who are unaware of these activities. In 2009, 50 percent of business customers report being aware of at least one of their utility company's corporate citizenship initiatives.

"The high percentage of business customer awareness suggests that a fair number of gas utility companies have dedicated themselves to engaging in and promoting their participation in various corporate citizenship activities," said Al Destribats, vice president of the energy practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "At the same time, there is definitely still room for improvement. It is important for business customers to have confidence that their gas utility company is supporting community efforts to help the local economy flourish, particularly during these challenging economic times."

The study also finds that having a direct point of contact that is dedicated to servicing business customers greatly impacts overall satisfaction. Customers who have an account representative assigned as their direct point of contact have satisfaction scores averaging 68 points higher than the overall index. Those customers who have a specialized business service call center as their direct point of contact have satisfaction scores averaging 17 points higher than the overall index.

"Forty-seven percent of customers indicate they have a business services center as their direct point of contact, while 13 percent say they have an account representative," said Destribats. "Establishing a specialized contact point for business customers gives them a clear sense that they are valued by their local gas utility, which in turn enhances customer satisfaction."

In addition, the study finds that nearly 50 percent of all business customers recall receiving some form of communication from their gas utility company during a six-month period, and overall satisfaction is 52 points higher among business customers who recall a utility communication.

The 2009 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study is based on online interviews with representatives of more than 7,600 U.S. businesses that spend between $200 and $50,000 monthly on natural gas. Additionally, more than 40 utility brands -- each serving more than 32,000 business customers -- were examined. The study was fielded from June to July 2008 and October to December 2008. For more information on gas utility ratings, please visit JDPower.com.

Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: (Based on a 1,000-point scale)

East Region Utility Provider Overall Satisfaction Score ---------------- -------------------------- Washington Gas 647 Con Edison 613 Baltimore Gas & Electric 607 New Jersey Natural Gas 607 East Region Average 604 UGI Utilities 601 National Grid 599 Public Service Electric & Gas 598 PECO Energy 594 Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania 574

Midwest Region Utility Provider Overall Satisfaction Score ---------------- -------------------------- MidAmerican Energy 662 We Energies 641 Xcel Energy - Midwest 641 Alliant Energy 635 Vectren 621 CenterPoint Energy - Midwest 619 Laclede Gas 616 Missouri Gas Energy 612 Midwest Region Average 610 Kansas Gas Service 608 MichCon 606 Duke Energy 604 Northern Indiana Public Service Co. 601 Columbia Gas of Ohio 599 Consumers Energy 590 Ameren Illinois Utilities 589 Peoples Gas 579 Nicor Gas 574

South Region Utility Provider Overall Satisfaction Score ---------------- -------------------------- PSNC Energy 657 Texas Gas Service 647 Piedmont Natural Gas 635 Atmos Energy - South 633 Alagasco 630 South Region Average 629 CenterPoint Energy - South 618 Oklahoma Natural Gas 614

West Region Utility Provider Overall Satisfaction Score ---------------- -------------------------- Southwest Gas 687 Northwest Natural 667 Southern California Gas Company 648 Pacific Gas and Electric 642 West Region Average 641 Puget Sound Energy 636 Public Service Co. of New Mexico 620 Questar Gas 604 Xcel Energy - West 604 Southwest Gas 687

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Media Relations Contacts:

Jeff Perlman; Brandware Public Relations; Agoura Hills, Calif.; (310) 589-7749; jperlman@brandwaregroup.com

J.D. Power Media Relations; J.D. Power and Associates; Westlake Village, Calif.; media.relations@jdpa.com

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate

SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates

Source: PR Newswire

More News in this Category